Video and pictures: Shropshire fire crews help flood-hit community in Lancashire

Retained crews from Shropshire Fire and Rescue have been battling to pump thousands of gallons of water away from a village in Lancashire as Storm Frank battered the UK with heavy rain and high winds.

They have joined firefighters from Hereford and Worcester, Lancashire and Cheshire in flood-hit Croston near Southport, where the Chinook helicopter has dropped one ton of sandbags to fill a gap in flood defences on the River Douglas.

Four firefighters from Prees, two from Shrewsbury and two from Baschurch joined the efforts with the county's high volume pumping unit. The unit has worked non-stop to pump 7,000 litres of water a minute to help relieve the flooding.

Currently, the military is working on shoring up the banks, while fire crews work to pump out water that has already breached.

Two firefighters from Clun, three from Craven Arms and three from Prees were also tasked to the scene at midday.

All the firefighters from Shropshire are "on call", which means they have other careers as well.

Ian Leigh, Shrewsbury Station Manager , who is co-ordinating efforts on the scene for the Shropshire fire crews, said: "We are continuing operations supporting the other High Volume Pumping Units to support the breached dam operations in Croston to support the Environment Agency and the Army.

"Our High Volume Pump is helping to protect the community hit by the floods. We have moved a huge amount of water and are helping to keep it at bay."

Earlier this month a Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service six strong boat crew was sent to Cumbria to help rescue people stranded in their homes as a result of Storm Desmond.

They were today expected to remain in the north of England to continue their efforts.

Three severe flood warnings remain in place in Croston, with residents urged to pack up and leave without delay, while across England and Wales more than 40 flood warnings and more than 80 lower level flood alerts are in force.

Thousands of homes in Scotland and Northern Ireland have been left without power as the third named storm in a month to hit the country caused widespread disruption overnight.

Gales and further heavy rain were yesterday expected in the already flood-ravaged north of England, with people in some areas urged by officials to immediately evacuate their homes.